Projectile



Oct. 3, 1944. w J LANDEN I 2,359,317

PROJEGTILE Filed Jan. 16, 1940 invents? Williurn. I 1111 e Patented Oct. 3, 1944 UNITED ST (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 1 Claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmenta1 purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a projectile.

The purpose of the invention is to provide an explosive projectile which may be inexpensively and easily fabricated and which is arranged to receive a simple firing mechanism.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a projectile constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar fragmentary view illustrating a modification.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference the projectile comprises a body 5, a neck 6 and a head I. The body together with the neck form what is termed the body proper of the projectile. The body part 5, which is preferably of gilding metal so as to be capable of being engaged by the rifiing of a gun barrel, is formed with a closed base 8 and with a chamber 9 opening into the front face of the body and adapted to conveniently receive an explosive charge ID. The body is formed with a reduced cylindrical front portion I l which is force fitted into a rear recess l2 of the neck part 6.

The head part I which is preferably of a metal having a low shear strength has an ogival front end l3 and a reduced cylindrical rear end l4 providing an annular shoulder l5. The rear face of the end [4 is recessed to provide an annular projection l6 which is to serve as a firing pin.

The neck part 6 which is preferably of a more rigid metal such as brass is formed with a front recess H which receive the rear end I4 of the head part with a force fit. The shoulder l5 of the head part 1 seats on the front end of the neck part 6 and normally maintains the projection 16 in spaced relation to the floor l8 of the front recess ll. The neck part is formed with a reduced aperture 19 which establishes communication between the front recess l1 and the rear recess l2 and which provides a flash passage leading to the explosive charge II] when the parts are assembled. The flash passage is formed in partition 2|, the forward face of which provides the floor l8. A primer compound 20 which may consist for example of lead azide is pressed into place on the floor l8 of the front recess.

The neck part constitutes a coupling between the head and the body and it is forwardly tapered to gradually merge the contours of the body and the ogival end I3 of the head.

When the projectile strikes an object the annular shoulder l5 of the head, being seated on a rigid base, is sheared or deformed and the head moves rearwardly relatively to the neck, the projection l6 striking the primer 2G and serving as a firing pin to ignite it and thereby set off the explosive charge. The sensitivity of the firing mechanism on impact will be dependent on the character, quality or strength of the metal at the shoulder 15. The metal on the line of shear or deformation may be strong or weak as occasion may require.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the major portion of the neck part 6 of Fig. 1 is combined with the body proper 5a and a washer 6a of a rigid metal to facilitate shearing form a seat for the head la.

I claim:

A projectile comprising a body proper having a forwardly tapering front wall and including a chamber for the reception of a charge, a partition defining the forward end of said chamber and providing a flash passage therethrough said partition together with the front wall of said body proper defining a front recess providing a floor for the reception of a primer about said flash passage, an annular primer charge surrounding said flash passage and carried by said floor, and a unitary head part having a reduced rear end portion providing a rearwardly facing shearable annular shoulder, said shoulder abutting the forward end of said front wall, said rear end portion being received in said front recess with a force fit and with its rear face spaced from said floor, the outer surface of said head part being ogival and merging into the contours of said forwardly tapering wall of the body proper.

WILLIAM J. LANDEN. 

